Opposites
by pichuyamanaka
Summary: Summary: After the War was over, the Fire Nation has to make reforms. To secure bonds, most of the members of Team Avatar have to go through arranged marriages in order to satisfy the nobles. The story is better than the summary. Main pairing: ZukoXKatara, SokkaXAzula, Toph X Aang. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A.N. I DO NOT OWN the Legend of Aang or the characters.

Summary: After the War was over, the Fire Nation has to make reforms. To secure bonds, most of the members of Team Avatar have to go through arranged marriages in order to satisfy the lord. The story is better than the summary. Main pairing: ZukoXKatara, SokkaXAzula, Toph X Aang.

Enjoy!

**Chapter One: Securing Bonds **

The people of the Fire Nation are known for their pride, patriotism, and most of all, their HONOUR.

But they were also known for another thing, that is, DESTRUCTION.

It was ironic how these two completely different qualities resided parallel in all of the people of the Fire Nation, which would obviously mean that, to some extent, they were all suffering from conflicting personalities. Then again, which person in the fire nation did not have a complicated past? Not a single child of the Fire had escaped without a scar in their lives, be it physical or emotional. They had fought for what they thought was honor and patriotism, but in the end, made up their minds differently. What had they done?

They had destroyed a peaceful relationship between all the four elements. They had ravaged the world, destroying everything. They had made the Air Nomads extinct. They had destroyed the South Pole. They had made the mighty Earth Kingdom crumble to its knees. They had simply followed what they had been taught. They were taught to hold on to their pride and honor. But they had never got the correct path, the rational cause for what they were doing. As a result, they thought they were in the correct path, while others thought differently, and the whole of the Fire Nation was looked down upon with hatred and naked fear by the entire world.

Fire was an element of destruction. It was dangerous and burned down everything relentlessly. That's why the people of its element were like that too. But not if the people could control it. Not if they knew how to bend it. Fire was also the key factor of life. Fire gave food and protection. It was also nurturing. Without the Sun, the world would have stopped in one day. The Fire Nation was filled with glory, and was known worldwide for its beautiful architecture and exquisite cuisine. But the entire nation was doomed, because of one man. Sozin. One man who couldn't control his irrational thirst for bloodlust and dominance in the name of giving the world the glory of the Fire Nation.

And that is why his son, Azulon, became like him. And a nation is always shaped into what its leader is like. Azulon turned his sons Iroh and Ozai into tyrants too. Except that Iroh could overcome his darkness. But even he had dark secrets in his past. He had slain the last dragons. He had lost his son in battle. Ozai could not overcome evil, and in the end, lost to the Avatar. Ozai's children, Zuko and Azula, were turned into the wrong path too. Ozai had lost in both ways, both darkness and family. He had lost his wife, Ursa. He had literally lost her, for he knew not whether she was alive or dead and neither did his children. Zuko had finally turned to the good path, thanks to Avatar Aang. But he could not escape the scar inflicted by him by his own father. Azula had been completely overcome by evil. She had always craved her mother's affection, fought against the severe feeling of inferiority that she felt towards Zuko, and in the end, had got stuck in a mental asylum.

Such was the fate of the royal family of the Fire Nation. Some had escaped with temporary damage, some had escaped with permanent ones, and others could not escape it at all. It was like the curse of the entire world was against them. And why wouldn't it? Nobody had the strength to endure a century long period of killing, looting, and destruction.

Destruction. That word was permanently engraved along with the blue-blood of the Fire Nation.

The Water Tribes and The Earth Kingdom along with the Fire Nation had stood in the Fire Nation palace, united, after a century, with the newly crowned Fire Lord Zuko, and the Avatar Aang, standing in front of them together, meaning there was peace once again. The Avatar and Fire Lord became what would be defined in the simplest terms, best friends, which also signified the world was slowly rolling back to its previous state of amity.

But the world accepting peace again could not pacify the hungry corrupt lords and nobles of the royalty of the different states. The Earth Kingdom nobles had their eyes and ears open for another war, and no one knew what the elder, seemingly more "wise" nobility were plotting underneath that mask of goodness. The Water Tribe Chiefs, The Avatar, The Earth Kings and The Fire Lord and the entire nobility of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation had united once again in the Fire Nation, and were residing in the Royal Palace itself, entertained by the generous services of what remained of the Fire Nation royalty.

The goal of the meeting of the royalty and leaders was simple and a predictable outcome of the war: how to officially establish peace and make reforms. The Fire Nation had to pay for the damages it had caused. The nobles could not be satisfied with anything.

The fire nation had finished paying for everything, and both the Water Tribes had been pacified. Currently, the quarrel was being aroused by a particularly stubborn Earth lord, Lord Fuwang.

"All the people present in this meeting know what the true intention of the Fire Nation is! They are pretending to be all nice and competent by paying for all the damages! How do we know they will not turn into savages again? What proof do we have? NOTHING!"

Katara, now known as a master of Water bending, sat with her palms closed on her lap. She had now lagged back into a slumped position in her seat, all traces of dignity gone. How long could one maintain his or her manners if they had been stuck in a room filled with people focused on nothing but making life difficult for everyone? Toph was snoring softly with her head on the table. Aang was, with much difficulty, staying awake, with dark circles around his eyes. Sokka was still sitting uptight, Katara noted with a hint of guilt. He was looked upon as the Chief's son, so he did have to be serious. She did not need to be that serious. She was the second child, after all, which thankfully protected her from much unwanted scrutiny.

Her eyes immediately shot at Azula, as if to contradict her thoughts. Azula was also second born, and there she was sitting perfectly, not one inch off her perfect posture. Azula was there, just out of the mental asylum, already helping her brother to rule. That girl had after much suffering, found the right path. Her attempt at being good was almost funny. Sokka would laugh when she screamed as to why being good was so hard. She was so much alike Zuko. The group had surprisingly accepted her in, after much drama and mistrust. Suki however, could not even tolerate Azula.

"How can we trust that Azula will not turn into her former self again?'

She felt bad for Zuko, as he sat there trying to get the world to forgive his nation. The poor guy could not even pinch his eyebrows, because the previous time he did it, the lords had broken off, angrily claiming that the Fire Nation had no interest in making peace, and if Iroh had not managed them, the last straw would have been blown away. She thought enviously of Mai, Ty Lee, Haru, Teo and Suki, how they did not have to go through any of this. They were in the palace gardens, both treated like heroes and fed like ones. Her stomach growled impetuously. She was now part of the oh-newly-considered Water Tribe Royalty. Technically, she mused, if Yue was a princess, so was she. She and Sokka were after all, the Chief's children. She caught snippets of the screaming here and there.

"How can we take the bond that the Fire Lord has established for real? He is too young to be in this room even? What audacity is this? Are we to be taken as fools?"

Katara sighed again. We ARE too young for this, she thought wryly. They did not get to experience their childhood at all. No plays, no decent homes, always flying from one place to another, saving the world. Sometimes it felt too tempting to hand the responsibility to others and for once, be the one to be saved instead.

"There is a way," she recognized the voice to be King Kuwei's. "We can establish bonds between the nations by establishing bonds between the royal families."

Katara straightened up. She heard shuffling. The others had stirred up too. She thought admiringly about the King. One word and he got the entire room stirred up. No wonder he was the King. The nobles just did not have it in them.

"Bonds between the royal families?! What bonds? The Fire Nation does not even have a royal family anymore! The Fire Lord does not even have an heir!" a lord cried.

"All the more important it is for a bond. The Earth Kingdoms do not have any heirs to succeed us. The Air Nomads have gone extinct, and we need to start rebuilding if we ever want peace to be established."

"Are you suggesting a marriage?"

Iroh raised his eyebrows. Bumi started cackling. Hakoda and Arnook Chief looked at the King with surprise.

"The Avatar, may the spirits bless him, has has his race made extinct. The Avatar will wed Lady Beifong"- The King was cut off with an outrageous roar from everyone. Katara saw red. She could hear Toph screaming at the top of her lungs at Kuwei. Kuwei Screamed, "HEAR ME AT FIRST AND THEN SPEAK!" The hall quieted down. "What I say, is the best for everyone. The young heroes have sacrificed much for peace, but the world still calls for them to sacrifice more. It is time to put aside personal feelings and focus on completing their task. As I said, the Air Nomads have gone extinct, but that cannot be encouraged any further. The Avatar simply lives in an Air temple all alone. That would seem inappropriate and would be unsafe. Instead, the Earth Kingdoms are more than willing to take him in and this bond shall be assured by a marriage to Lady Beifong, who I have assigned my throne to. The Beifongs are royalty. The Earth Kingdom will be too happy to have the Avatar as their ruler. As for the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Zuko will wed Lady Katara, as she is the closest to Water Tribe Royalty. Princess Yue is, as you know, departed. About the issue with Azula, she will marry lord Sokka. The Air temples will be taken care of by joint charities of the nations. In this way, the royalties and the air nomads will be born again, the Fire Lord will have an heir, and none of the bonds can ever be broken."

Katara still could not say anything. She was half hoping that her friends would stand up for it and protest against this injustice. _Come on you old hags, _she kept on thinking._ Throw all your objections at the King now…_

But instead, everyone burst into applause. Everyone aside from Katara and her friends. Katara couldn't stop herself from bursting into anger. The room suddenly grew too cold. The hall quieted down. Toph began shivering beside her. The bubbling of the fountain outside crackled into a stop. The chair squealed against the marble floor as she stood up. "I will say this once and for all." The nobles laughed shakily. "I object to this marriage. We all have sacrificed too much. Too much for all your ridiculous notions. I will not marry whoever you choose for me. We are young. And according to my belief, WE choose whoever WE WILL SPEND OUR LIVES WITH!" This time, the hall burst into even a louder fit of laughter. That's it, Katara thought angrily. With a severe roar that tore out of her throat, she motioned her hand towards the nearest laughing noble she could find. She blood bended. Oh yes, she DID blood bend. And the sadistic thing was, she started _liking_ it.

She noted with a sickening pleasure, the noble as he stood suspended in mid air, eyes wide with horror, a vein rising on his throat, feet and hands twitching. 'Sugar queen stop! You'll kill the guy!" Toph screamed. "Katara, stop. You're not like this." Aang's voice pulled Katara back on planet Earth. Katara slumped down on her street, her eyes downcast with shame. The noble fell on the floor with a loud thud, and burst into a violent fit of coughing. Hakoda rushed forward to the noble, along with Pakkun and Iroh. Sokka angrily pulled Katara's arm and hissed, "What the hell do you think you were doing?!"

"I was standing up for myself which you, oh mighty Sokka, are too weak to even consider!" she hissed back.

Zuko, who had been quiet throughout the entire scenario, cleared his throat. "I suggest you take in my opinion before jumping into conclusions. I am, as you know, the Fire Lord." The nobles seemed to be quieted down by this, and all of the faces turned to the Fire Lord. "Since my domain is only limited within the Fire Nation, I will only be able to impose my nobles. I WILL decide who I am to marry. And I am not willing to marry Lady Katara against her wish and as for my sister, Azula, I will not allow anyone to force her into any kind of marriage. I hope by now, all the nobles _are_ satisfied-" Only a fool would fail to notice the hidden threat- " I now leave the decision to the Avatar."

Katara looked hopefully towards Aang. His eyebrows were burrowed deep in thought. There were impatient throat clearings. "Well Aang, say something," Sokka said.

Aang cleared his throat nervously. "I am the Avatar. My duty is to look after the world and protect it. But I have a duty towards my people too. I have already failed them once. I cannot fail them again. So now, I have decided to put aside my feelings, and am ready to marry Toph. And I hereby order the royalties of the Fire Nation and Water Tribes to do so too."

There was a round of applause as the weight of Aang' s words slowly sunk in on Zuko, Katara, Azula, Sokka and Toph.

Please read and review. This is my first fanfiction, so cut me some slack! I know Sokka and Aang sound too somber, but it is a meeting, so they cannot just joke around. And Azula is good now, you'll know more as the story goes on. All of the characters will return to their original forms once the meeting is over. I'll update as soon as I can. Let me know whether you like it or not!:D -pichuyamanaka


	2. Chapter 2 Their Thoughts

After the meeting broke, Katara lagged away from the hall. She could sense her shoulder drooping from her utter sadness-there was no way other way to describe it-and mental stress. First from how she would manage all of this, and secondly, whether she was cut out for the job and thirdly and most importantly, HOW DARE THEY. She was still imagining various sadistic ays to give the old reeking nobles a piece of her mind, or in other word, to kill them. And then there was always the childish part of her mind which had been nagging her during the announcement of her disastrous ordeal up till now. And that childish part was screaming at her as to why Aang dumped her. And that too, publicly, though he didn't say it directly. Agreeing to marry Toph. Huh. She was known throughout the world as the Avatar's Lady. And now she would be known as the Fire Lord's Lady. She didn't know which one suited her better. It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing was the same. During the war, she knew when peace came, sacrifices had to be made. But she had imagined that everything would return to normal. That they would be in a garden, united as a family. Well, she thought. I guess that rule only applies to normal people, not us HEROES. Huh. Heroes. She would do anything to be normal now. And, maybe, 8 to 9 years ago, she imagined she'll be the hero of everyone. If she had known, even for the tiniest bit, as to what being hero actually implied to, she would have classified the notion as a monster under her bed rather than an imagined fairy of her dreams.

With a grim wave of realization, Katara looked up to find that she was standing in front of the wing of the suite which Sokka, her dad and she were residing in. Zuko had been very considerate with giving them a suite so they could live as a family. According to Azula, he was trying to make up for the time they had missed together as a family. He was a gentleman. She wearily turned the doorknob and dragged her feet towards her room. She didn't feel like meeting anyone. At all.

Azula kept up her statuesque pose as she gracefully exited the hall. As she felt the soft pad pad pad of the carpet as her feet walked on it, she sighed. She would have to abandon her armor now, now that she was engaged. Her comfortable amour would now be switched with disturbing, difficult to handle, long silk robes. I am engaged, huh? She thought wryly. Personally, as a child, Azula had never been the one for day dreaming. She was more focused on books and battleships and how to pester Zuko. She really didn't give much thought to those "icky girly stuff." But as adolescence had kicked in, she did think about it. Once. That she would have had to marry a noble, perform her duties, and he would preferably leave her alone. Never had she thought she would wed her ex-enemy, or who knows an enemy. But then again, the world was nothing like she imagined it would be. She imagined the world would be not the world, but as a whole Fire Nation. But it wasn't. And surprisingly, Azula found that, she actually felt happy. As if someone had taken a burden off her shoulders and made her free. She was kind of glad that she would be wedding the Water Tribe prince. She was relieved because, it felt to her as if this was kind of like purgatory. Burning off her sins. She vaguely remembered Sokka as he held her against the wall, asking for Suki in a fierce voce. A foolish voice had whispered at the back of her mind, now that's a man. She was still gazing after his chestnut lean, wiry muscles today during the meeting. He was lean, and tall. Not like a bulky over muscular Earth kingdom guy. She preferred lean men. Men of the Fire Nation were naturally muscle built, with a lean touch up. Azula sighed. Again. She slowly started taking off her amour, not caring if anyone was looking. She wore a light red tunic underneath with loose brown trousers. A brown belt just underneath her chest gave a nice flowy effect. Pulling her hair into a loose ponytail out of the top knot, she advanced towards the training grounds for some Fire bending. TO get her mind of things.

Toph sat in the chair which was assigned to her in the hall, not bothering to get up. She just landed her head on the table, and passed out.

Zuko was observing his sister as she walked out. He just didn't get it. Was she really that emotion proof, or was it her calm façade plastered to her face in an attempt to make him not worry? 17 years that he grew up with her, and he still didn't know her. TO be expected of Fire Nation royalty. His eyes slowly wandered off to Toph. Her head was on the table, face down. He walked over warily, and poked her shoulder. She fell off.

"Uh, what the hell. Toph? Toph? Anybody here?' A servant bustled into the hall. "Please see to it that Miss Beifong recovers. Take her to her room and make sure she is tended to."

"Yes, my lord."

Meanwhile, he thought. I would like to take a break. All this is killing me. "My lord?"

Zuko tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose, trying hard to conceal his irritation. "Yes?" he said through clenched teeth.

"There are still some contracts and reports to go over."

"Take them to my chamber. I'll come after a while."

Aang stared the sky. It was splotched with red, orange and yellow. Calling for twilight. He was unsure. Nervous. Frustrated. He needed advice. And guidance. From who, he didn't know. He wanted to meditate. His cheek was nuzzled by Momo's nose. 'Let's go Momo. We'll fly in a quaint place. Then maybe, we could visit Appa." With that, he took off, with the lemur following suit.

Sokka sharpened his boomerang frustrated. Again and again. His frown creased deeper and deeper. Why he had to sacrifice so much for his country, he didn't know. If only Yue was here. If only she could comfort him, if only he could talk to her, just once. His thoughts were cut off with a sharp rapping noise at the door of their suit. He groaned and managed to call out, "Come in!"

A pretty amid curtseyed to him, and put a three thick envelopes on the desk in front of him. "What are these?" Sokka asked. "Invitations, my lord. For the ball today."

' Ball? What ball?"

"To celebrate the happy engagement of you and Princess Azula, and Lady Katara and Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang and lady Beifong. You must be such a happy couple, my lord. My greetings."

Sokka tried hard not to grimace. He didn't like to hear his and Azula's name in one sentence. It irked him." "Yeah, we are,' he lied." Is that what everyone's saying?"

"Yes, my lord." With that, she smiled and curtseyed again, and went out of the room. The door shut close with a soft thud. Sokka turned the envelopes over. One was addressed to him, one to Katara, and another to his dad. Without bothering to read his, he went to his Dad's room and knocked. No one answered. He walked in and saw that no one was there. He sighed heavily. He needed some parental advice. Oh well. He couldn't blame Hakoda. He was busy all day long. He set the envelope on the pillow, knowing the first thing Hakoda would do is flop down on his bed. He then went to Katara's room and knocked. 'Come in," a tired voice groaned.

"Hey,' Sokka said. " Bad day?"

"You don't say.''

Sokka flopped down on his sister's bed. Katara dragged herself upright. "You just got yourself an invite."

"Really? Oh, finally something good!"

" Why don't you read it? I didn't bother."

"You didn't bother? I thought you were food obsessed."

Sokka shrugged. " Yep, just warming up."

Katara laughed. She slowly took out the thick parchment and read,

"YOU ARE INVITED TO THE BANQUET HOSTED DUE TO CELEBRATE THE HARMONIOUS ENGAGEMENTS OF

Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Katara

Lord Sokka and Princess Azula

Avatar Aang and Lady Toph Beifong

THIS BANQUET HAS BEEN HOSTED TO SIGNIFY THE UNION OF OUR BELOVED MONARCHS.

Please note that all guests are required to wear the traditional robes of their culture. No informal attire is valid.

HOSTED BY

_The White Lotus"_

" Wow. Wayyy to boost up our minds!"Sokka said sarcastically.

" Oh no! Oh god!"

" What?"

" Sokka, formal dresses! You don't have to worry about that! I'LL HAVE TO DRAG MYSELF IN ROBES!"

" I have to wear robes too. Stop complaining. I know, it feels like it's gonna fall off any minute. Trust me, I know."

Katara just sighed and hugged her brother. He was only too happy to return the favor.


End file.
